


Thick as Thieves

by MachineQueen



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, Original Characters - Freeform, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-09-30 21:27:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17231501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineQueen/pseuds/MachineQueen
Summary: Neo and Roman are at the top of their game. But there's another thief on the streets, one determined to make their already difficult jobs even harder...My version of how the Cinder-Roman alliance came to be.





	1. Chapter 1

From Neo’s hiding place, everything looked red. 

_Swoosh. Swish. Swoosh._

Three cops went down, one after the other. Neo didn’t need to check their bodies to know that they were dead. Their deaths were not what interested her. What interested her was the woman standing over them. She held fire in her palms but her skin didn’t burn. Her eyes held a kind of violence Neo had never seen before. And her blades...they appeared and disappeared in and out of thin air, seemingly at will. 

About a month ago, Neo had heard rumours about a new criminal in Vale, one that seemed intent on robbing jewel and dust shops. And not long after that, she had found Cinder and begun to watch her. So far she’d found out the woman’s name (probably fake), that she had two children-slash-henchman-slash-flunkies and that she was really, really good at stealing and wearing too tight dresses. Also, she liked to put on a show which included wearing the loot. Neo could see dust crystal bracelets sparkling on her wrists and a string of jewels at her throat. Most thieves tried to avoid attention but Cinder’s MO was to draw it. It just made it easier to dispatch whoever was trying to stop her. The woman was ruthless, a trait which Neo admired as much as she feared.

Neo eyed the bracelets adorning Cinder’s left wrist. There was one in particular she was interested in, and whoever was robbing from this particular store would have been a fool to leave it behind. Sure enough, when she looked she could see a bracelet with three cleanly cut diamonds set in gold plating. Looked tacky as all hell to her but considering the client who’d placed the order, that wasn’t a surprise.

When she’d first laid eyes on Cinder, Neo hadn’t been worried. She and Roman had the monopoly on robbery in this city and it had been that way for a long, long time. They were good at what they did and they were good at paying and/or threatening the right people to elude capture. It would take something, someone monumental to knock them from where they stood.

In the pit of her belly, Neo feared she was looking at that someone. Someone so powerful that they didn’t need to pay their way to the top of the food chain. Someone who had brought murder into the equation. Roman could be ruthless but he didn’t like to kill. He preferred thinking of himself as a dashing rogue, a thief with honour. Like from a story book. 

“Lesson one, Neo. There are two kinds of men you can’t cheat. Honest men and dead men.”

“...” The look she gave him perfectly delivered the ‘Really?’ that she couldn’t say. Roman ignored it. But that was typical of him. 

“Also, lesson two: killing people makes a mess. Look, there’s blood all over my jacket. I’ll have to take the cleaning bill out of your wages.”

Neo had pouted then and tried to convey that the beefy man she’d just killed had been very dangerous and about to call the police but Roman was unmoved. He made her carry the loot from the job by herself, spent a while calling in favours to account for the dead body they’d left behind and then made her do the dishes as penance. A cruel fate indeed. 

(But not as cruel, she supposed, as being stabbed to death with a parasol shaped sword)

“Is someone there?” called Cinder, making Neo jump. “Come out, come out wherever you are.” She held her swords out, her fighting stance making the challenge perfectly clear. 

Neo considered it. She could fight if she had to. Hell, she’d been considering a sneak attack, hoping Cinder would be too distracted by the cops to keep her eyes on the prize. Clearly that hadn’t worked out.

Before she’d seen the cops go down, she might have considered the challenge. But now instinct told her a) there was no way she could win even if she could dodge for days and b) making an enemy out of Cinder would be a very foolish thing to do. 

But there was the bracelet. Within reach, taunting her. If Neo didn’t get it, she was going to have a lot of explaining to do to Roman and/or a very pissed off client. Her mind worked fast, trying to come up with some kind of plan. 

...Neo fled. Vale’s paths were ones she’d trodden many times before. No one knew the streets like she did. In mere minutes, she could be back at the shoddy warehouse that counted as HQ, sharing a drink with Roman, listening to his plan for Vale domination yet again. She was particularly fond of listening to what he’d do if he had all the money in the world. It changed every week, sometimes daily. Running themes were women, poker and obnoxious vehicles. This time, though, Neo hoped to bait the fellow thief into following her, then cornering her, stealing the bracelet and getting the hell out of there. It was an ambitious plan but it played to her strengths - speed and surprise.

As Neo skidded round another corner, a shot of flame flashed before her eyes. Neo swerved, blinked and tried to swallow her shock. It had been a long, long time since anyone had caught up with her so quickly. Too quickly, in fact. They were in a starkly lit corner and she had a wall at her back and another to her left. 

“Going somewhere?” asked Cinder. Up close, she was strikingly beautiful. Her eyes glittered like lit coals and her mouth was shaped perfectly for smirking. Neo’s mind flashed back to movies she’d watched with Roman, movies with girls who wielded their beauty as deftly as a finely crafted blade. 

“What have we here?” asked Cinder. She held her flames but she didn’t seem like she was going to set Neo on fire any time soon. No, Neo had merely piqued her curiosity. 

Unfortunately for her, Roman was the one with the gift of the gab. And he wasn’t here right now. 

“Answer me,” said Cinder, her tone impetuous. This was a woman used to getting what she wanted. Neo cocked her head to one side, considering. She didn’t appreciate being ordered around. Even if she could have answered, she wouldn’t have.

Slowly, she drew out her parasol. Cinder watched her, incredulous. And then Neo made her first strike. It wasn’t meant to hit. Merely distract and give her an opening out of there. But Cinder parried it without any problems, battering Neo into an inconvenient corner that didn’t give her enough room to even cast an illusion and make her escape. 

Her illusions were at least good enough to provide a decoy while she manoeuvred herself into a better position. That had worked nicely before, but Cinder shattered her first decoy insultingly quickly.

“Oh...interesting,” said Cinder. “At least tell me your name. I like people with interesting semblances. Maybe we could be friends.”

Neo gave her a look. Just because she was petite, it didn’t mean she was a child. Cinder obviously interpreted the look differently, as she slowed, then lowered her swords. Neo tilted her head and then let down her parasol. There was pause as she flicked her gaze from the swords to Cinder’s face. Cinder huffed, a single puff of annoyed breath and the swords disappeared.

Just as Neo had hoped.

Cinder’s wrist was now in a perfect place for Neo to be able to make a snatch for the bracelet she’d been after all along. Now Cinder was unarmed, getting past her was cinch.

“Wh-what the- Hey!”

Behind her, Neo could hear Cinder’s flames _whumph_ to life. But you can’t hit what you can’t see. This time, Neo made sure she rendered herself completely invisible. It was a little tiring, but it was worth the indignant yell and knowing she’d won that little confrontation. The bracelet glittered in her palm, red blue and green stones setting off the diamonds nicely. Somewhere in the distance, sirens blared.


	2. Chapter 2

“And where have you been?” demanded Roman when she got back. He had an open paper in front of his face and he didn’t look up from it. VALE SINKS UNDER CRIME WAVE read the headline.

Neo let the bracelet swing from one finger with a coy smile. Roman wasn’t looking though, engrossed in the paper. Annoyed, she moved closer and gave him a sharp poke in the shoulder.

“They keep using that awful police photo,” Roman complained, jabbing at his wanted picture in the paper. “The lighting is awful and really does nothing for my complexion.”

Neo rolled her eyes and poked him again, harder.

Finally, he looked up. Neo waved the bracelet, letting it spin on her finger. The metal links made a satisfying clinking sound. She didn’t miss the look of relief that spread across his features, even if only for a second. He might be playing it cool but she could smell the expensive presence of their top client, Erick. The cologne he wore was disgusting but at least his money would keep the lights on for a while longer.

“He’s here. He’s out for a smoke,” said Roman in a low voice. “Wasn’t sure how I was going to get rid of him if you didn’t come back.”

Neo gave his shoulder an awkward pat. Their association with Erick gave them both protection and a steady income. If they messed it up, pushed too hard than they could find themselves dead all too easily. The two of them shared a brief, tense silence as they waited for his return.

“Neo, my dear! How lovely to see your perfect face once again.” Erick spoke smoothly, all low, polished bass. It made Neo’s skin crawl. She closed her fist over the bracelet. Erick had just smoked the kind of luxury cigar that Roman purchased if they were having a good month. They could smell it on his breath, even from across the room. At a glance, he looked like a kindly old grandpa. But the way his face contorted when he smiled was too creepy for him to be anything other than one of the top dogs of Vale’s criminal underworld.

“Go on, let me take a look,” said Erick. “No tricks.” He licked his lips. Neo hoped he meant at the bracelet and not at her face, though he would be getting to see both up close.

Grudgingly, Neo approached. His brown eyes looked too young for his face, too quick.The cigar smoke and cologne became stifling the closer she got. He stood above her, six foot at least. The only thing that kept her from either bolting or striking him was Roman’s eyes on her back. 

Slowly, she opened her fist. He took the bracelet, appraised it. This always seemed to take him longer than necessary. But finally, he nodded.

“Well, well, well. Maybe the two of you really can steal anything,” he said. “Just as ordered. Again. Hope it didn’t give you too much trouble.”

Neo thought of Cinder and tried not to visibly flinch. 

“Any dead bodies?” asked Roman, all faux casual in the way Neo hated the most. He was trying to make them seem more dangerous in front of Erick, the showman in him revelling in it. 

Neo shook her head. No dead bodies. Just one very pissed off alive body. 

...She should probably tell Roman about Cinder. But it was a long story and she was tired from using her semblance so much. Telling him would probably involve typing it all out or him misinterpreting sign language so much that it would put them both in a bad mood. Doing all that in front of Erick would be idiocy. It would have to wait until he was gone and probably until tomorrow, so they could both take a much needed breath before moving on to the next problem.

“The money’s in the case,” said Erick. “I’ll throw the case in for free. Yours is looking bit tired,” he told Roman. “Remember what I told you, young man. Image is everything.”

“I’m sure those jewels will make you the talk of the town,” said Roman.

“Oh, yes,” said Erick. “It will do my rivals good to see proof that I can afford the best thieves in Vale. I’m sure I’ll be in touch with my next order very, very soon.”

“Always a pleasure doing business with you,” said Roman, with a tip of his hat.

She and Roman counted the money after he had gone. It was all there, so at least that was something.

XxX

Neo’s awakening the next morning was sadly not as pleasant as she’d hoped it would be. Being slapped with a rolled up newspaper was surprisingly painful.

“Neo! What the hell is this?”

Before she had time to even blink, a brand new paper, so fresh off the press she could smell the ink, was shoved in front of her sleep dust filled eyes.

POLICE MURDERED DURING JEWEL HEIST

Oh fuck. She’d forgotten about Cinder’s murdered policemen. 

Roman’s glare would have made a lesser woman flinch. Neo just slowly shook her head and crossed her arms over her polka dot pyjamas.

_Not me_ , she mouthed. Roman was the only one she would ever do that for. Miming made her feel stupid and she was sure that it looked stupid too. Moments like this really made her wish she could speak, if only for a minute.

“So you didn’t murder the cops. They just so happened to be at the jewel store at the same time you were robbing it,” he said, clearly unimpressed. “Something doesn’t add up here, Neo.”

Neo sighed and reached for her scroll. She didn't like communicating that way but the sooner she could tell Roman what had happened, the sooner he would stop being (as) pissed at her.

_There was someone else_ , she typed. Another thief. She murdered them.

Roman’s brow furrowed. Did he still not believe her? She was slightly insulted that he didn’t think she had the imagination to make up a more interesting lie.

_How were they murdered_ wrote Neo.

“Severe burns,” muttered Roman, scanning the paper.

Neo mimed stabbing with her parasol and then shook her head. 

“Ah.” Roman visibly relaxed, having been reminded that Neo liked to stab her foes to death. There was something beautiful about that one movement making the difference between having a living breathing human or just a bag of skin and bones. Neo was fascinated by it, so much so that she wouldn’t consider killing anyone any other way. 

“I have heard rumours about another thief,” said Roman. “Didn’t think there was much in it though.”

Neo gave him a quick run down of her adventure the night before, typing it out as quickly as she could.

_She can create fire_ , wrote Neo. Dangerous.

Roman thumbed through the newspaper, ink staining his fingers. There was another write up about robberies further in. Some of the text had been highlighted with a yellow marker. 

“These weren’t us,” said Roman. “Or any of our associates.”

Neo scanned the article. She already knew from observation that Cinder had pulled off some fairly ambitious heists. Sometimes alone, sometimes with her henchmen. What was less clear was why. She didn’t look or sound like a woman who needed to steal for a living. Neo had watched a lot of criminals. Some of them were like Roman - swaggering, smug. Some were like her - quietly dangerous. But she’d never met any like Cinder. 

“Sounds like she almost made off with our order,” said Roman, referring to the bracelet that Neo had managed to take the night before. “If you’d been a moment too late, we would have lost Erick. And that would leave us in quite a pickle.”

Neo watched Roman’s face as he considered the problem. Most of their ‘clients’ were people whom you really, really didn’t want to piss off. Not unless you wanted to find yourself homeless, friendless, penniless and wearing a bodybag. But Erick was one of the most notorious for getting bored and stabbing those who worked for him in the back. Their tenuous relationship had only started in the first place because Erick had already been wondering if they were more valuable to him dead or alive. They’d done too well, become victims of their own success. 

Sometimes being a criminal in Vale was like walking an impossibly thin tightrope.

“This town might not be big enough for a new thief,” Roman said eventually. Neo wondered if he was thinking the same as she was - if Erick met Cinder and decided she was the better thief, they were as good as dead. He got up and left, cane tapping out an irritated rhythm. 

XxX

Roman did some subtle and not-so-subtle digging around to try and find out more about Cinder but he turned up little. Neo swiftly realised that she was resident expert on the woman by virtue of having lived long enough to tell the tale.

Neo eventually grew so tired of the constant questioning from Roman that she tried going out of her way to hunt Cinder down. But it seemed like Cinder had disappeared into the ether. At one point it had felt as though Neo hadn’t been able to go a week without spotting her. But now she was completely gone. There was no sign of her two flunkies either. Shops were still being robbed but Neo had no way to predict which ones and in which sector of the city. There was only one of her and one of Roman and they couldn’t be everywhere. And even more annoying, the police had started to involve hunters and huntresses from Beacon Academy. Neo knew even together she and Roman would stand little chance against a team of huntsmen. And if they were caught, nothing pleasant would await them.

The huntsmen were making their jobs and lives increasingly difficult, to say the least. Cinder, however, seemed to be able to give them the slip. Neo wondered if she had some other unseen abilities, even more wondrous and powerful than what she’d already seen. 

I like people with interesting semblances, Cinder had said. That had stuck with Neo. If only because she caught herself thinking about if Cinder had wondered who she was and tried to find her again. It certainly put her on edge, thinking she might be the hunted instead of the hunter. 

Funds were drying up. They had erred on the side of caution for too long.

And then Erick placed another order. Calling their bluff. Part job, part test to see if they could make good on Roman’s long ago promise and steal anything.


	3. Chapter 3

Neo batted her eyelashes cottequishly. 

“Too much,” said Roman. He was dressed and ready to go, pipe in his mouth. If anyone asked, he was calm and confident. Only Neo knew the signs he was nervous - the off kilter puff on his pipe, the clench of his gloved fingers, the slight twitch of his eyelid.

“You’re supposed to look lost and innocent,” Roman said. “You look like you made a deal with the devil.”

Neo tried to reign in her smirk. She was dressed as a Beacon student. The uniform was just an illusion but she enjoyed wearing it. It was good timing too - the academy would have just received a new influx of students - young girls and boys who were being taught the art of beating up giant monsters. Neo pitied them. She’d rather be thrown in jail than face off against a creature of Grimm. 

“Look sadder,” Roman ordered. 

Neo widened her eyes and set her mouth. If she kept her eyes wide enough for long enough, she might even be able to produce some fake tears.

“It’ll do,” Roman concluded, with a theatrical wave. “Shall we go, then?”

He offered her his arm and she linked hers in, like they were a lord and lady off to a matinee at one of Vale’s theatres. They looked completely ridiculous. But Neo felt comfortable by Roman’s side. She knew what she was getting with him and he paid her well. And, most important of all, he had given her a safe place to sleep. They kept each other alive and in business. 

“You remember the plan?” he said and she nodded. 

They stepped out into the humid night air of Vale. It was fine and dry and there were plenty of people out enjoying the late summer night. Roman kept to the shadows. They wove in and out of buildings, quiet. Neo was more comfortable in the silence than Roman was. She knew he hated this part of the job - skulking about like the rats that they were. 

Eventually they reached their target. The surrounding streets were quiet but well lit. Discarded tourist maps and soda cans blew around, gently crinkling and rattling.

The building itself was imposing, all ornate stone and arched windows. The front rose into two great spires. Neo had to crane her neck to look up to the very top. 

WELCOME TO VALE MUSEUM, said the front 

Academy students milled about, just as they’d hoped. The museum opened in the evenings for the best and brightest students, those looking for extra credit or a chance to see some of Vale’s treasures up close and personal. Neo felt a shot of resentment as she watched them, spoilt and happy and laughing without a care in the world. 

“Ready to make friends?” asked Roman and Neo rolled her eyes. Roman sniffed and made a little run along gesture that she’d never tolerate from anyone else. 

“I’ll be waiting for your signal,” he said. “And keeping an eye out for trouble.”

Blending in with the students was easier than Neo had hoped. There were dozens of them, young and fit and so very, very stupid. Impossible not to pick a couple of pockets while she was there. For her troubles she was rewarded with a handful of coins, a battered wallet and a scroll that she couldn’t unlock. If she was lucky, it might pay for a sandwich. 

The museum itself was all bright white floors and walls browned with age. The steps went on forever and every overhang was balconied. It was the kind of place Neo wouldn’t mind living in some day. She wanted to be like those women in movies who had a room just for their shoes. Which was stupid because she didn’t need clothes, not when she could change her appearance with a single thought. But illusions never lasted - they couldn’t keep you warm. Still, that was what she daydreamed about as she tried to get her bearings. Roman counting his money on the mezzanine and her by a pool with a line of shoes to choose from. No crooks, no huntsman, no Cinder. 

Neo let her eyes go distant as she pondered.

...SMACK. She walked straight into a man wearing a guard’s uniform. In that brief moment of contact, Neo was able to snatch his keycard. This plan was ridiculous. Something cooked up by Roman after one too many movies, a plan that was only reasonable due to the obscene amount of money involved.

“Ugh,” said the guard. Neo held out her hand and helped him to his feet. Or she tried, but as he was a six foot something guard and she was a four foot something little girl, it didn’t really work. In the end he dropped her hand and performed an awkward scramble. Neo glanced away as he made an attempt to regain his dignity.

“Where are you wandering off to, hmm?” he asked her.

Neo shrugged. It was a move she’d copied from a teenager sassing his mother in Vale’s biggest shopping centre. She’d pickpocketed him as well. 

“Students should be getting ready for the tour at the other end of the building. Do you know the way?”

Neo shook her head and did her best to look both petulant and pathetic.

The guard sighed. “I’ll take you. Come on. What are you, like fifteen?”

Neo offered him a big, blowsy smile and followed him. He led her to one of the bigger exhibition halls. Neo offered a bow of thanks.

“Not much of a talker, are you?” said the guard. Neo pointed to her ears and then shook her head. The guard flushed. He hadn’t realised she was deaf! Oh, the humiliation. Neo smirked. She wasn’t deaf but pretending always served her well. The guard mumbled an apology and left. 

The exhibition hall offered a display on the history of Vale with particular emphasis on the huntsman academy. There was nothing of much interest on display. Wherever the treasures of Vale were, it wasn’t in this room. Browned maps and rusty coins held little interest. Neo scanned the hall, looking for a hiding place. Nothing. She needed a little closet, or a tucked away corner. She needed to get away from the exhibitions and out into the bones of the place but that was easier said than done…

“Students! Gather round!” 

Maybe the tour would offer some more possibilities? Neo let herself get caught in the drift of all the other students. Some of them shot her odd looks. The last thing Neo needed was a nosy do gooder asking questions but there wasn’t really anywhere she could hide. Maybe she should have tried illusioning herself into someone who looked more of a bully. But copying other people was difficult. She could never get faces right, for a start.

“Welcome to the Museum of Vale. Here you can step into the past and relive the history of this town, its people, how it was built, how it has withstood years of attack from other kingdoms, from Grimm and from the criminal underworld. Vale is home to some incredible sights and incredible people and-”

Blah blah blah.

Neo moved along with the crowd. Room after room of cheap (if old) trinkets. Then finally, finally, she reached the room she was interested in.

It was dark, lit by special lamps that wouldn’t cause the precious stones and metals to fade. Dark was good, dark was where Neo was most comfortable.

“These treasures were said to belong the old kings of Vale,” said the curator, her voice a hushed whisper. Students crowded round the plinths and the glass cases, peering hungrily down at the jewels within. The sheer size of the rocks made the bracelet she’d had off Cinder look cheap.

But how was she going to liberate these beauties from their pretty prisons? Breaking glass was loud. Neo needed quiet. A cursory examination told her the cases used old fashioned lock and key. But unfortunately for her, Vale’s best (worst?) lock picker was outside on guard duty and there was no way for her to get him in here without bringing guards, police and huntsmen. Roman refused to wear disguises - that was her area. 

“Of course, the real prize of our collection is this piece.”

The curator’s gloved hands gently, reverently lifted the very thing Neo had been searching for. A necklace, sparkling in a thousand different shades of silver and gold. Her hands itched to make a grab for it. But no, she must be patient, she must wait. The students crowded round to look, breaking the spell. She flicked her gaze away, searching the room. The dark worked against her but she could see the glint of cameras in two corners - maybe over there too, above the door and-

Neo’s eyes clashed with those of another student. Burnt amber eyes, a head tilt, a sly smile. Neo jerked in recognition. Then the head turned away and she was left standing there, unsure of what she’d just seen. Just an ordinary student and a trick of the light? Neo’s own paranoia making her see things?

There were two choices open to her: pursue the maybe-Cinder or hold her ground. Neo looked down and realised she was clutching her scroll. She should tell Roman. But he was nervous and telling him something like this might make him do something stupid. Nervous Roman was dangerous Roman. So she did nothing, frozen in indecision. 

Neo put away her scroll. The students were moving on. She should too.


	4. Chapter 4

Neo eventually found her hiding place. The cupboard was so small that it required her to curl up in foetal position, inhaling the smell of dust. At one point, she thought she could feel a spider crawling up her back but she forced herself to stay still. She wouldn’t give herself away because of a silly little insect. 

At long last, she checked her scroll. It was two hours after the museum had closed and the guards packed up and gone home. Time to move.

Stretching out had never been so leisurely. The hallway Neo emerged into was dark but camera free. It was only the exhibition rooms she’d need to watch out for. Amateurs. She used her scroll to light the way. The building was confusing but she’d made sure to memorise the routes to the exits and the way back to the necklace. She’d had nothing else to think about for two hours, after all.

Neo made it back to the correct room with ease. But she needed Roman to come in and work his magic on the cameras, and the lock. She would have to go back to the entrance and hope that the keycard she’d swiped from the guard would get him in to the building without incident.

As plans went, it was full of sticking points and maybes. But it was the best they had.

Before she could continue on, the scroll buzzed in Neo’s hand. Roman’s picture filled the screen. She frowned and put it to her ear.

“Neo, there’s no way I can get in,” Roman’s voice hissed. “The huntsmen have arrived. Someone must have tipped them off. Forget the necklace. Get out!”

Neo clicked the call end button. If they couldn’t pull off this job, they might lose Erick. It wasn’t something to be taken lightly. She looked at the necklace, still locked in its box. Huntsmen. But she was quick. And if they were here anyway, there was no reason she couldn’t take the thing by force. She didn’t need Roman to do that. And what did it matter if the cameras caught her? Her adrenaline pulsed and she brought her boot up to the casing and kicked with all her might.

The material juddered beneath her foot. The lock warped. Cracks appeared in the glass. An alarm went off, the din making her wince. She kicked at it again and the box shattered. The necklace was surprisingly flimsy, the tiny jewels pouring through her hands like a delicate waterfall. It felt wrong to stuff something so expensive into her tiny trouser pocket but there was no time to do anything else. There were shouts, thundering footsteps. Neo ducked out of the exhibition room, desperately trying to recall the guard uniforms. Her clothes flickered and changed but-

“There she is!”

If Neo could have spoken, she would have said every curse word she knew. She took a left into one of the other exhibition rooms but there were guards in front of her behind her, on the stairs above -

“Huntsmen coming through!”

Neo illusioned herself out of there, slipping through the crowd, throwing blurry virtual Neos in every direction she could. Weak panicked,unconvincing illusions, though they were still able to spread surprise and confusion among her pursuers. She found herself at the bottom of an endless staircase and paused, unsure of whether she could make the climb without being caught.

At the top of the stairs, a familiar figure stepped forward to greet her. 

“Why hello, my little thief.”

Those eyes, burning in the dark. Cinder. Neo should have known. Of course the thorn in their side would really be here - Neo had just desperately wanted to convince herself otherwise. As if there was time to deal with Cinder’s smirk - presumably she was the one who’d raised the alarm. Neo couldn’t work out why - she was no good at mind games. Some sort of test? Cinder gently lifted her wrist to show Neo the very bracelet she’d successfully pinched and delivered to Erick. The garish diamonds were easy to recognise. 

Which meant - what?

Neo drew her parasol - and turned sharply to the unfortunate guard that had tried to sneak up behind her. The blade sank into his gut and the noise he made produced a shiver that Neo enjoyed more than she should. More guards followed him but there was no way Neo was going down without a fight. She fought for her life, feet flying, landing kick after kick, slamming her whole weight into each foe that wanted to catch her tie her down keep her from Roman from home from the world - bones crunched, flesh tore and it felt like it would go on forever-

“Here she is!”

The huntsmen. Two women. Their weapons were made for monsters, not people. Neo didn’t think they would want to use lethal force but her aura had taken a battering. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could last.

“Neo! Neo!”

A familiar voice, behind her. Roman, coward (she knew oh she knew), crook and criminal had come for her-for her? 

He fired two shots at the huntsmen, who spent too long drawing their weapons to retaliate. By the time they’d clicked and clunked into place, Neo was readying her best trick, leaving only an image of herself and Roman behind as the two of them ran.

Neo hadn’t intended to take Roman’s hand, it has just been instinct. A blaze of fire erupted behind them, the sound of shattering - then the building started coming down behind them, plaster raining from the ceiling. 

Two more huntsmen waited for them once they made it out of the building. Both of them started, as if they hadn’t expected two criminals to come thundering out of the museum, one of whom was four foot something with a priceless necklace stuffed into her pocket. The only hope they had was that they seemed young and inexperienced. Roman glanced at Neo and she realised she would have to work fast, create another image while they ran for it. But her aura was low and she needed time. Roman seemed to get it and eyed up the huntsmen. 

“Good of you to come but we're not sticking around,” he said with a glib tap of his cane. “Why not run on home like good boys.”

“Put your hands in the air, crook!”

“You shouldn't believe everything you hear on TV,” said Roman, leaning on his cane. “What, you skipped Making Arrests 101?”

The two huntsmen exchanged glances. 

“Stop chatting shit and put your hands in the air!” said the taller one. He was brandishing a dangerous looking lance. 

“It's not polite to swear. When I was a young man huntsmen used to have manners and-”

The illusion was ready. Neo searched for an escape route but the police had started to close round them. She wasn't sure if they'd make it but she couldn't see any gaps to slip through. So they would have to take a chance. 

… And then the building erupted into fresh flames behind them. Cinder? It didn't matter. Neo took advantage of the confusion to grab Roman's hand once again and run. 

XxX

“That was too close,” said Roman, emphatically. “If that woman hadn’t have-”

Neo seized his jacket in both fists and pushed him against the wall so they were almost nose to nose but she had no words to ask the question. Roman blinked down at her.

Neo flickered, changed her clothes so she wore Cinder’s dress. 

“That’s her! Who is she, who-?”

Neo fumbled for her scroll, wrote out a single word.

_Cinder._


	5. Chapter 5

Three dead guards said that they really, really shouldn’t go in. But here they were, in Erick’s drawing room, necklace safely stashed in Roman’s briefcase. Erick hadn’t come by with the money. Neo could still remember seeing Cinder, Erick’s bracelet on her wrist. Neo had wanted to believe she'd stolen it back out of spite rather than murdered their best customer. But things weren't looking promising. 

The room was lit only by candlelight but it smelt like death and expensive cologne. Neo didn’t want to hang around - she’d felt ill as soon as they’d stepped inside. She reached for Roman - and then snapped to attention, stepping out in front of him when something moved towards them in the dark.

“Bravo. That was quite a show you put on at the museum.”

Out of the shadows stepped a lady in red, surrounded by an orange glow and flanked by the two minions Neo had spotted in the past and not spared much thought to. 

Roman grinned, showing too many teeth. He was still poised to fight but on seeing Cinder he slowly moved to a more neutral position. He looked her up and down, appraising. Approving? Well. She was beautiful. Like a poisonous flower. And Roman was a sucker for anything beautiful. 

“Hello, gorgeous,” he smirked.

Neo reached for her weapon but Roman put a hand on her shoulder. No. Stop. She wanted to shake him off. But she could already tell Roman had made his mind up. He’d decided not to fight.

“Were you looking for the old man? I’m afraid he’s quite dead,” said Cinder. “Your best client, I should imagine.”

“Not quite our best,” Roman lied. “So. I take it you’re the thief on a mission to rob every dust shop in town?”

“You’re one to talk,” said Cinder. “You and the little girl don’t exactly have squeaky clean reputations.”

“This is Neo,” said Roman. He didn’t elaborate further and that suited Neo just fine. She bowed. It was intended to be sarcastic. She wasn’t sure if Cinder got it or not.

“You’ve got quite the semblance,” said Cinder. “Hasn’t she Emerald?”

One of the minions glared at her. A pretty teenage girl with sharp eyes. Neo stuck her tongue out at her for no reason other than it was either that or try and smack her down. Which would be difficult with Roman still holding her arm. 

“Brat,” said the girl. But she looked shocked and Neo enjoyed that. 

“Play nicely, kids,” said Roman. 

“We’re taking the money,” said Cinder, gesturing to their surroundings. “It should suit our plans nicely. And this manor is a good base to work from.”

“Hold on there, sweetheart,” said Roman. “Neo and I made the old guy rich. Why should you get all the reward?”

“Because we did all the killing,” said Cinder. “However...the two of you are impressive. And we could use some help.”

“I’m listening,” said Roman.

“We want the city,” said Cinder. She said it casually, the same way one might say they wanted coffee. 

Neo wanted to laugh and say such a thing was impossible. But as she looked into Cinder’s eyes...she shivered. There was nothing she could do. Her original fears had come to pass...she and Roman were old news. The only hope she had was that the two of them could survive Cinder, just like they’d survived everything else.

She shrugged Roman’s hand off her shoulder. He dropped it without a fight, still looking at Cinder. Neo wished she could take his hand in hers and tell him no. But-

Behind Cinder, one of the most powerful men in Vale lay slumped over his coffee. His diamond encrusted wrist glinted in candlelight. He had never seen what was coming.

And neither would the city of Vale.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Writing as Neo is so fun; she has sass. But it makes you realise how hard it is for her to communicate...  
> \- Erick, Neo and Roman's client, is vaguely based on the Emperor from the Emperor's New Clothes.   
> \- My take on Roman is that he only started killing people when Cinder came into the equation - she forced him to up the stakes. Something I observed is that though he will use lethal force, he'd rather have someone else do it.   
> \- (Neo has no such morals)  
> \- "There are two kinds of men you can’t cheat. Honest men and dead men.” ...Arguably OOC. But I figure Roman sees the whole world as fundamentally dishonest and I liked the line so it stayed.


End file.
